The Exchange.

The photos above show the progress on works to restore the historic Carnegie Library in Walnut Tree Road, Erith. The first phase of building works, funded by the Mayor of London and London Borough of Bexley, is progressing well. Extra funds were provided by Bexley council to completely renew the roof. Other works include dealing with water ingress, the restoration of the weathervane and revealing the parquet flooring in what will become the ‘Bookstore Café’. The first phase of works is due to finish in September. This will allow The Exchange (the organisation which has taken a long term lease on the historic building, which is currently in the process of applying for charitable status) to partially reopen the Old Library for public use in the autumn. On June 14th, The Exchange will be opening the doors of the Old Library to provide tours of the space. They will be joined by Luisa Baker, Project Manager from London Borough of Bexley and Robin Lee Architects. Because of a recent break-in, The Exchange are having to take extra security precautions, so please do book onto a tour in advance of the day. The Exchange and London Borough of Bexley have received initial support from The Heritage Lottery Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund to develop the second phase of the regeneration project. The £137,900 will be used to progress our plans for the upper floors of the building, as well as testing out activity ideas, business planning, continuing conversations with the community and delivering a major fundraising campaign. In the next 12 months, they need to raise another £300,000 which will support an application for a full grant of £980,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. To support this major fundraising campaign, The Exchange are on the hunt for a new member of the team. The Fundraising Officer will work closely with The Exchange Directors to develop funding bids and events that reflect the ambitions of The Exchange and the future role of the building within the community. More details can be found by following this link. As the refurbished Carnegie Library be opening in Autumn this year, The Exchange will be needing some help. If you are interested in supporting them in a voluntary capacity, they would like to hear from you. There will be a range of opportunities available including, Events, Learning, Research, Marketing and Gardening. If you are interested, visit The Exchange website to download a Volunteer Application Form. 

As has been (somewhat inaccurately) reported in the News Shopper, there was a very large multi agency raid, carried out on the Darent Industrial Estate on the Slade Green Marshes. The operation, which involved the Metropolitan Police, the Fire Brigade, The Home Office and Revenue and Customs happened on Wednesday morning - I personally saw a large convoy of vehicles, including a number of police buses full of officers, heading Eastwards along Manor Road at around 8.45 on Wednesday morning.  Prior to heading out to begin the operation, all the agencies had convened in the car park of Morrison's in Erith for a pre - raid briefing. I feel that this was quite a risky thing to do, as many of the people - legitimate and otherwise - who work on the Darent Industrial Estate use Morrisons on their way to and from work, and whilst any passers - by would not know the purpose of the large gathering of official vehicles, any criminal would be suspicious that something big was up. The official Police report from the Slade Green and North End ward reads thus:- "Our team were involved in a joint operation this morning with our police colleagues from Erith, Northumberland Heath and Belvedere SNT along with Immigration Officers, Trading Standards and other government agencies. An early morning entrance was made out on the Darent Industrial estate and at the time of writing there had been 2 arrests made for immigration offences, several stolen vehicles recovered and one establishment closed for operating with an incorrect licence. There are pictures on our Twitter page". I gather that there was rather more to the raid than just picking up some illegal immigrants and stopping a company operating with an incorrect licence. Hopefully more information will make it into the public domain in the near future.

The News Shopper is reporting that the second phase of demolition of Littlebrook power station is due to happen on Saturday the 9th of June at 11pm in the evening. Littlebrook "A" will be demolished in a controlled explosion which will cause the Dartford crossing to be closed for a time. Several major power plants around the country are being decommissioned due to their not meeting new and very strict environmental pollution standards. Littlebrook D Power Station was closed down in March 2015. Littlebrook was actually a series of four separate power stations adjacent to each other, located on the south bank of the River Thames, next to the Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge and the Dartford Tunnel. The first power station on the site – Littlebrook A, was the coal-fired Littlebrook A Power Station, built by The Kent Electric Power Company in the early 1930s. It was opened in 1939. Coal was initially brought to the station by rail, until a riverside pier was completed. The station was later converted to burn supplementary oil over coal, and remained in use until it closed in 1973.  The construction of Littlebrook B Power Station was delayed by the Second World War, and came into use between 1949 and 1950. Like the A Station, it originally burned coal, but was later converted to burn oil instead. It had a capacity of 120 MW and remained in use until 1975. Littlebrook C Power Station was opened between 1952 and 1956 by the Central Electricity Board, and had a total generating capacity output of 240 MW. Like the two earlier plants, it was originally coal-fired, but was converted burn fuel oil by 1958. The station continued operating until it was replaced by the D Station in 1981. This station was built in response to a rapid demand for electricity as the Country emerged from austerity of the post war years.  The most recent station, Littlebrook D was an oil-fired power station and was built by the nationalised Central Electricity Generating Board. The station was built by The Cleveland Bridge Company with construction starting in 1976.  The first unit commissioning underway by 1981. The 1980s still saw a potential threat from the Cold War, and as such the CEGB designed Littlebrook D as a robust station with high plant redundancy, meaning that the station would form a pivotal role should disaster have struck the city of London. At this time, London was still dependent on several smaller generating stations within the city itself. Littlebrook D was one of a number of stations throughout the UK with black-start capabilities, meaning that it was able to start generating without an external power supply - the station would be one of the first to start generating should the UK experience a partial or complete blackout. Littlebrook D played a vital role in restoring power supplies to the South East of England in the days following The Great Storm of October 1987. As well as providing a black-start power supply to the country, the fact that they could synchronise and ramp up to full load in under five minutes means they were used to generate at the request of The National Grid Company (who operated the UK electricity grid system) to deal with short-term peaks in demand. Such peaks typically arise during the winter months, where evening demand is higher due to lighting and heating requirements. A modification was made to one of the boiler units which allowed for alternative fuel trials. Several were trialled at the Littlebrook D site as part of ongoing research into generating energy from more sustainable fuel sources. One of the main alternative fuels tested was wood chippings, but the energy density these supplied was far lower than fuel oil, so a far larger bulk of chippings was required to create a similar output of electricity. This was deemed to be unacceptable, and the trial was a failure. The station was finally owned by RWE nPower which is owned by the German utility company, RWE. They decided that Littlebrook would "opt-out" under The Large Combustion Plant Directive, an EU law aiming to deal with air pollutants created by the combustion of fossil fuels. This essentially meant that Littlebrook D would have to cease to generate after 2015 in its final configuration. The station ceased operating on 31 March 2015. The demolition of Littlebrook "A" will coincide with the already planned closure of the QE2 Bridge for maintenance, so as not to distract drivers. The 10-second event will not be visible from outside the station boundary and the site will be off limits during the demolition. Although the explosion and collapse may be heard off site, any noise will be over very quickly and non-harmful dust is extremely unlikely to go beyond the station’s grounds. The other main structures will be blown up throughout the year and into 2019, with the site fully cleared by 2020. What is currently not clear is when the iconic chimney - which is visible in much of Erith, Slade Green, Crayford and Dartford will be demolished.

It would seem that the short lived reign of the supermarket self service checkout may possibly be coming to an abrupt end. In a recent study a team at Voucher Codes Pro, a sales coupon website, quizzed 2,532 shoppers about their supermarket habits and found that close to a quarter had committed theft at a self-checkout machine at least once. (A figure from the same report suggested that the total cost of items stolen through self-checkout machines in 2017 came in at more than £3 billion, up from £1.6 billion in 2014, though I believe that the numbers are somewhat speculative). Some steal by accident, the study found, perhaps on account of a scanning error – honest mistakes. But many perpetrators know exactly what they are doing. Often, perpetrators will construct what they perceive as legitimate excuses for theft. Some feel justified in taking items when the checkout machine they’re using doesn’t operate smoothly (it is the machine’s fault). Others consider the items they steal as a kind of payment for work they’re completing on the supermarket’s behalf. Still more reach the self-checkout machine, look around, and see nothing but the inhuman trappings of a faceless corporation. Few would steal from an individual grocer. But from a multinational conglomerate? What difference does it make? The situation has been described as that individuals can neutralise guilt they might otherwise feel when stealing by telling themselves that there are no victims of the crime, no human being is actually being hurt by this, only some mega-corporation that can surely afford the loss of a few quid. In fact, the corporation has saved so much money by laying off all its cashiers that it is almost morally necessary to steal from them. I am vehemently opposed to self service for a number of reasons; firstly it has been demonstrated that the average time to complete a supermarket self service transaction is up to three times as long as one carried out by a staffed till – and that is without allowing for system errors. Secondly, why would you have a dog and bark yourself? Quite often the checkout person adds to the whole retail experience, and can problem solve on the go. Elderly people, or customers with small children can also find self service stressful. On top of this, the supermarkets only introduce self service as they think it will reduce their staffing overheads. This has proved to be a false economy, as although the number of checkout staff is reduced, the number of supervisors and security operatives has to increase – who tend to be paid a higher rate than the checkout staff. This particular matter has caused Wilkinson’s to remove them, as they discovered that the self service tills actually cost more by the time all the overhead costs were factored in; they were also finding the incidence of thefts and under age purchasing were on the rise. Self-service tills cost about £9,000 each, including installation, and manufacturer NCR estimates that they pay for themselves in about 15 months. A third more tills can be squeezed into a store and checkout staff can be deployed elsewhere. But the devices — and their frequent complaint of “unexpected item in bagging area” — are disliked by many shoppers, who argue that retailers are asking customers to do their work for them, and that it reduces interaction with staff. NCR argues that the counters cut prices. “Staff can be redeployed to the shop floor, so it can actually improve service,” A claim that has since found to be incorrect in very many cases. NCR believes that it is benefiting from modern social change, especially the growing convenience market. People are making more shopping trips, for fewer items — hence the spread of convenience outlets to meet demand — a phenomenon attributed by analysts to the breakdown in the nuclear family and traditional working patterns. NCR believes, moreover, that shoppers’ desire for healthy and fresh food and a growing desire to have cravings satisfied immediately have also driven the convenience boom. In my opinion, part of the whole shopping experience is the service and interaction with the staff - and as has been previously proved, the auto tills are not very secure. In fact, the whole chip and PIN security system is indeed threatened, as I have written about in the past. I refuse to do the supermarkets' work for them - and I detest these impersonal infringements on our shopping experience. In 2016 a report was published by the Criminology Department of the University of Leicester on self service checkout tills. The report found that installing self-service checkouts raises lost revenue by 122 percent. Some of it is accidental – people forget to scan items, or get confused by instructions; other times shoppers get so frustrated with self-service kiosks that they feel justified in not paying. The report  states that mostly people shoplift because the technology makes it so easy. Mobile phone scanning technology is just as vulnerable – the study found that at the end of a typical shopping trip, up to ten percent of items had not been scanned, leading to “shrinkage” (loss through wastage or theft) of about 3.9 percent of turnover. Unfortunately the technology makes it very difficult to prove that customers are deliberately stealing.  Often it is difficult for retailers to discern between malicious actions and honest mistakes – was the customer absent-minded or consciously fraudulent? – and proving intent can be perilous. Charge an honest shopper with theft and lose their business. Let a perpetrator off the hook and suffer a reduction in profit. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly, Barnehurst ward:- "Good news again for Barnehurst as we did not have many crimes. Officers from the Barnehurst team served a local resident with a Community Protection Notice due to Anti-social behaviour. The team will continue to have a zero tolerance approach to Anti-social behaviour. If you wish to report any Anti-social behaviour on the ward please contact us on 020 8721 2577. The Barnehurst team met the new ward councillors, who are Councillor Brain Bishop and Councillor Howard Jackson. The meeting was extremely productive and positive as we are hopeful that we will work well together in making Barnehurst ward a safer place. Please join us for our community contact day on Wednesday 30th May at 1pm at Barnehurst Golf Course. We will discuss any ward issues that you have and we will also provide residents with crime prevention advice. Two new Neighbourhood Watches are in the process of being launched. Residents from Merewood Road and Beechcroft Avenue have volunteered to act as Coordinators. We are keen for other residents to come forward in the hope to get full Neighbourhood Watch coverage in every street". Bexleyheath ward:- "As previously mentioned the new ward boundaries are now in place across the borough. The name of our ward is now Bexleyheath Ward, previously Christchurch. Please make sure you have the right contact details for us which is below this update. We are getting to know the new areas on our ward with residents. We are communicating with previous ward officers to make sure we have a smooth changeover. In relation to what has been going on the ward. Over the last week, we have had no reported residential burglaries which is fantastic news. As part of our business as usual we continually patrol the ASB areas on our ward at various times which includes open spaces, car parks and areas you have informed us of. We have had various reports of ASB around the ward involving, youths in Martens Grove Park, vehicle meets in ASDA carpark, drugs and involving motorbikes and cars. We have noticed an increase in graffiti on the ward in Martins Grove Park, Russell Park, Marriot car park. The council have been notified to remove them as quickly as possible. If you do notice any graffiti on the ward. Please contact the council and they should be able to remove it as soon as possible, this can be done easily online. Normally anything offensive/racial you would need to report it to Police also. We were notified of an incident of Criminal damage to a motor vehicle in the cinema car park but are awaiting details. As part of Bike Week we have been invited to be a part of this initiative which is on Saturday 9th June along the Broadway between 10am and 2pm where be lots of stalls etc and we will have our bike marking stall as well as the MSC holding a recruitment stall. There is no charge for this so please pop along if you are available with your bikes and get them marked, feel free to mention to others who may not get this information. Please don’t forget to come and see us at our contact sessions which are advertised. The next one is on the 30th June will be at Lidl Bexleyheath between 4pm & 5pm, come along if you wish to speak to us if you are around then. Their seems to be a little confusion with regards how to report crime. You should either dial 999 if it is an emergency, dial 101 for all non emergency’s, via the Met police website, or in person. If you want to pass on information then please email our mail box or Crimestoppers 0800555111 Other means of contacting us are obviously Twitter, Facebook, email and the ward phone as per below. For crime prevention advice, please look at the Met Police website which has the information that you may find useful. Remember In an emergency please dial 999 and 101 for non-urgent reporting". Crayford ward:- "At approximately 03.30 hrs on Sunday 20th May, a house in Woodside Road was raided by armed police and a firearm was found within the property. The next morning at approx. 06.00 hrs, officers again entered the property and made an arrest. There have been reports of criminal damage to motor vehicles this week. Between 21.00 on 17th May and 07.00 on 18th May, a Black Ford Fiesta had its tyres stabbed multiple times outside an address in Wolsey Close, this is a hire vehicle. On 27 April at 02.15, what was believed to be a firework was thrown in to a car parked in Dale Close, there was damage to the soft hood and it created a dent. Between 13.00 on the 18th May and 16.30 on the 19th May the front passenger window of a vehicle was smashed and the door damaged whilst parked in the underground car park at Tanners Close, Perry Street, there were also historic issues reported such as eggs being thrown at the vehicle. There was an attempted robbery in Halcot Avenue on the 17th May at 11.49. The victim was chased on his moped and an attempt was made to ram it. It was believed that the suspects were trying to steal the victim’s vehicle but then crashed their own vehicle, no threats were heard. On Saturday 19th May at 19.50, two males entered the Bottle and Basket in Crayford Way and demanded money from the till with the threat of a weapon. The person working in the shop, whilst very frightened was able to activate the panic alarm and the suspects fled the scene with nothing, police were very quickly on the scene. Our team came across a damage only accident and assisted with a road closure whilst awaiting the council to clear an oil spill in the road. Two males were also arrested, three mobile phone tickets and one speeding ticket issued to motorists as part of our ward panel promise. We have carried out foot and mobile patrols of areas coming to notice for anti-social behaviour and looking at ways to suitably reduce and prevent this issue. Our ward panel will be held on Thursday 31st May, if you would be interested in attending, please contact us". Erith ward:- "We held 2 free bike marking events in Erith last week marking almost 20 bikes for local residents, I will arrange more dates for this in the future. We are still working hard on trying to get 100 percent Neighbourhood Watch coverage in Erith I am guessing we are at around 70 percent at the moment. Some upcoming dates for our Community Contact Session - feel welcome to pop along: Wednesday 30/05/18 we will be in Erith Library from 11am". Northumberland Heath ward:- "No burglaries have been reported to us for several weeks now which is great news. One theft of motor vehicle from Austen Road which was stolen on May 11th but was not reported until May 18th. The vehicle has since been recovered. One criminal damage to a window in Cartmel Road on the evening of Friday May 19th. Several bottles of milk have been stolen from a doorstep in Nurstead Road the early hours of the morning on Thursday May 17th. This has happened to the same victim over the last month or so. The Clarkes travel shop in Bexley Road have reported lead missing from the roof of the premises to the value of £2,000. It is unclear exactly when this took place. The team will be at the Sunshine Café next Wednesday May 30th at Noon for our coffee with cops event". Slade Green and North End ward:- "A garage was burgled sometime Monday/Tuesday this week in Newbery Road. A small child's bike was stolen. No forced entry. A male offered to cut the victims grass last weekend and was taken up on the offer. There is no evidence linking this male to any involvement in this theft but please be vigilant when using any cash in hand services offered by random passers by. Street lighting/Scaffold poles with around an £8000 value were stolen and damaged from the new Egerton Place development (the old Linpac site, Slade Green Road) last weekend. Unfortunately the area is not covered by cctv but patrols will be made past the site in the coming days. We have been leafleting the Frobisher Road estate with our “Rat a Rat” campaign, reminding residents that calls about drug dealers living or dealing nearby can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800555111. We will hopefully do a few more leaflet drops and get some posters up across the ward in the coming weeks. All the information reported to Crimestoppers does make it’s way to us so it is a good way to report crime/drug dealing etc if you are unsure about speaking directly to the police. We have a Community Contact Session this Sunday (27th May) from 11am at our office in Pier Road, then another this coming Tuesday (29th May) from 1030am at the café in Forest Road. Please come and say hi if you are nearby". Thamesmead East Ward:- "On Wednesday 16/05/18 between the hours of1:00pm and 4:00pm a pedal cycle was stolen from the Thames innovation Centre, Yarnton Way. Over the night of Friday 18/05/18 and Saturday 19/05/19, the side window of a vehicle parked in Glimpsing Green was smashed and items were taken from the glove box; A vehicle which was locked and secure parked in an underground car park in Eastgate Close was stolen overnight of Saturday 19/05/18 and Sunday 20/05/18. Criminal damage was caused to a vehicle parked in Hartslock Drive between the hours of 11:00pm on Sunday 20/05/18 and 06:00am on Monday 21/05/18 .The tyres of the vehicle were slashed; A vehicle which was under repair following a Road Traffic Accident was stolen from Hartslock Drive between the hours of 06:00 pm Tuesday 22/05/18 and 06:00am Wednesday 23/05/18. Have a Say event: Tuesday 29/05/18 between the hours of 2:00pm and 3:00pm the team will be attending The Thamesmead Library, Bazalgette Way. An opportunity for members of the community who prefer face- to – face contact, to speak with a Dedicated Ward Officer.  Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Information: Take it with you - Mobile phone, coins, sunglasses can earn quick cash are irresistible to the opportunist thief. Remember the cost of replacing a window is often much more than of what’s been stolen. Wallets, handbags purses and credit cards should never be left un an unattended vehicle".

One of the down sides of the Maggot Sandwich only publishing once a week on a Sunday, is that occasionally it can become overtaken by events. The end video below was found on YouTube by me on Monday, and I embedded it in the draft of this issue. Unbeknownst to me, some bright spark at the News Shopper also came across it, and republished it under the News Shopper banner during the week. I had actually found it first. I digress; the video shows the testing of the brand new British Rail Class 345 trains on the Crossrail / Elizabeth Line from Abbey Wood Station. Give the video a watch, and please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The smoking gun.

Just for once the weather for the 2018 Bexley Beer Festival was excellent, as you can see from the photo above - click on it for a larger view. Unlike the last three years, where the majority of festival attendees ended up huddling in the marquee tent, as it was so cold outside. This year could not have more different; it was warm and sunny, and most of the festival attendees took advantage of the clement weather and stayed outside. The event was very busy; I have not seen the final figures but it seemed to me that attendance was up on last year. One major change to the usual arrangements was that the bar area went cashless; visitors had to purchase cards from a cashier desk. The cards, which to me resembled WWII era ration cards, were available in £5 and £10 denominations. After one had purchased however much credit one wanted, you selected the pint, half or third from the range racked behind the counter, asked one of the Bexley CAMRA volunteers for the beer of your choice, then handed over your card when the beer was delivered.  The volunteer would then use a marker pen to strike out a number of squares on the card which equated to the price of the beer purchased. It was a system that seemed to work well; my only concern that Bexley CAMRA had not publicised the new system in advance, and quite a few visitors - including myself - were quite perplexed by the unannounced changes. I can fully appreciate the advantages of a cashless system - it was quicker for the volunteers behind the bar, and it also eliminated cash handling errors. Another benefit for the organisers was that a fair proportion of visitors left the festival with unspent credit on their cards, having neglected to get a refund from the cashier desk. This is similar to the number of people who paid for a commemorative festival pint glass, but did not want to take it home with them at the end of the evening. It was possible to get a refund on the glass, but many did not bother - all extra profit for the organisers, and in a way a good move to ensure the continuation of the annual beer festival - which for me, and many others has become a clear favourite in the annual social calendar. I met with a couple of Maggot Sandwich readers that I had not encountered before, including one chap who recognised me as we both queued for the gents toilet! Unfortunately I did not get a chance to speak to him in any great detail, but it was a pleasure to meet someone who apparently has been a regular reader for some considerable time. 

Mystery surrounds the former Belvedere Police Station on the junction of Woolwich Road and Nuxley Road in Upper Belvedere. It was well publicised that the building had been decommissioned prior to being sold off; what most locals assumed was that the current buildings on the site would be demolished and the land used to build new flats. It would appear that in reality the situation is somewhat more complex. Estate agency Glenny now have the building up for rent in its current form. The advertisement says:-"The property comprises the former Belvedere Police Station which was constructed in 1968 and comprises a two storey flat roof brick building, with a third storey plant room. The property benefits from a reception leading to a central corridor and stairwell with a variety of individual rooms leading off. Internally the accommodation offers a mix of offices and storage space with male and female WCs. Externally there is private parking for 6-8 cars on a forecourt with additional parking and secure yard to the side of the property, offering further parking / storage plus a single storey workshop and covered store. The property presently has a Sui Generis use, being a former Police Station. As such, any alternative use will require a change of use planning application and we are of the opinion that the building would lend itself to a variety of uses including office, medical, community or leisure subject to receipt of a suitable consent". I must admit that I had to look up the meaning of "Sui Generis" which sounded like a character from "Game of Thrones", but I soon discovered that it means the following. The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order  1987 categorises uses of land and buildings. Developments may not be used for purposes that are not within the use class for which they received planning permission. Changing the use of a development from one class to another may require planning permission, although changes of use may be permitted without the need for a planning application for certain allowable uses (for example changing a restaurant into a shop). ‘Sui generis’ buildings are those that do not fall within any particular use class. The Latin term 'sui generis' means ‘of its own kind’. This stipulates that in terms of planning permission, if a use of land is to change within a use class, then this does not require planning permission. However, planning permission is usually needed where the change of use involves activities within the sui generis category. These include theatres, petrol filling stations, casinos, amusement centres, car hire businesses, and so on. There are, however, permitted development rights that allow movement between some sui generis uses and other uses. There is a common misconception that changing the use from an existing use class to a sui generis class always requires planning permission. Permission is only required if the sui generis use is materially different from the existing one. If there is any doubt, a lawful development certificate can be applied for. This must include a detailed and unambiguous description of the use, operations or other matter for which it is to be granted. The bottom line is that the current building owners see value in retaining the current structure, and are trying to monetise it directly, rather than demolishing it and building something new. This strikes me as being a rather ambitious and unusual strategy; the current building is fifty years old, and pretty much at the end of its life. It was purpose built as a Police Station, and I wonder how adaptable the building would be to other uses. I cannot imagine that many people would want to work in an office that used to be a cell, for example. I think the only local company that springs to mind who might possibly have an interest in the building might be The Erith Group; I have it on good authority that they are currently looking for a new head office. They have been based in the former Job Centre in Queen's Road in Erith for many years. I gather that they are looking to demolish the office building and construct a high end apartment block on the land, and to build some flats for affordable rent on the site of the former Pop in Parlour, just across the road, which they also own. The Erith Group have their other offices and yard on the Eastern end of Manor Road, but I am led to understand this site is already at capacity, and that a new head office building in the local area will need to be sourced. The old Belvedere Police Station would seem to be a match for many of their requirements, but I have doubts that it would be large enough, or offer enough car parking space for employee vehicles. I also have doubts over the internal configuration of the building - but I don't think this would be a problem for a construction company. Nevertheless, I think it far more likely that the building will lay vacant for yet more time, until a developer decides to knock it down and inevitably build more flats. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

Another even more significant planning story has broken in the last week; I have long been of the opinion that Electricity House - the large 1930's low rise block on the corner of Bexley Road and Queen's Road in Erith - directly opposite the fish roundabout, was likely to form part of any regeneration of Erith town centre. I first wrote about it in August 2014, which you can read here. There has been controversy over the building and the occupants for several years, including several allegations of their playing "fast and loose" with the local planning regulations - you can read the details from November 2017 by clicking here. This week they have been posting promotional leaflets through local front doors. The leaflets are of very high quality - full colour printed on thick and glossy card, and must have cost a fortune to produce. The problem is, the leaflets misrepresent the venue located in the former snooker club on the upper floor of Electricity House. The very elegant place settings and rooms shown in the photos above (click on either photo for a larger view) were actually taken elsewhere, and not in Erith. The actual venue looks nothing whatsoever like the promotional photos, and nowhere near as nice. The website listed on the leaflet is at the time of writing is also not operational. As I wrote last November, there are a number of legal cases under way in relation to Electricity House and the church that operates it. All of this is somewhat moot, as it would appear that Bexley Council have plans for the building, along with several others in Erith town centre. I have seen a document sent to me by a couple of readers who wish to remain anonymous, which outlines the plans for several buildings in the town centre. The document includes the following information:- "

ERITH REGENERATION PROGRAMME - ACQUISITION OF FOUR PROPERTY INTERESTS IN ERITH TOWN CENTRE

BACKGROUND

The regeneration of Erith Town Centre will create new coherent predominantly residential riverside communities, which will provide a mix of housing, new and improved business premises, community uses, and public transport improvements within a framework of new residential streets with an improved public realm. Using funding from the Local Enterprise Partnership Growing Places Fund, TfL’s Major Schemes Programme and the London Regeneration Fund the Council is actively acquiring property interests in the town centre when they become available. Terms have now been agreed in respect of four property interests, thereby adding to the Council’s current landholdings in the town centre.

OPTIONS CONSIDERED

1. To acquire the interests now, when the vendors are willing to sell, or 2. Not to acquire at this stage and to await further authority to pursue powers of acquisition.

DECISION

On the principal terms set out in the Exempt Appendix, the Assistant Chief Executive, Growth and Regeneration, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and relevant Cabinet Members, the Director of Finance and Corporate Services and the Chief Executive, authorises the acquisition of:-

1. The freehold interest in 1-9 Pier Road and 33 to 41 Bexley Road, Erith;
2. The long leasehold interest in 9 Pier Road, Erith;
3. The long leasehold interest in 35 Bexley Road, Erith
4. The freehold interest in 89 Erith High Street, Erith

And authorise the Head of Regeneration and Assets to finalise all necessary terms and the Head of Legal Services to take all necessary actions to complete the transactions. Was the decision taken following consultation with an Executive Member(s)?

Yes

If yes, does the Member have a conflict of interest in the subject matter?

No

REASONS FOR DECISION

The opportunity has arisen to acquire by private treaty four property interests in key properties in Erith Town Centre which will help to fulfil the Council’s strategic objects for this important town in the north of the Borough.

Signed: Jane Richardson Date: 26 April 2018
Assistant Chief Executive, Growth and Regeneration".

This would seem to be the "Smoking Gun" in respect of Electricity House, as the ownership of the freehold for the entire building would be the predecessor to the Council then submitting a compulsory purchase order, then engaging a developer to demolish the existing building and replace it with something new. As I have previously written, I have been of the opinion for quite some considerable time that the owners of the church, the creche, and the former snooker hall now being used as an events centre in Electricity House have been fully aware of the likelihood of the entire building being compulsorily purchased and redeveloped, and that they have been making the place look as plush as possible in order to get as much money as they can when the place gets compulsorily purchased. They have been engaged in a "land grab" over the last couple of years, to ensure that they own as high a percentage of the very large building as possible. It is obvious that the building, which opened in 1938 is now at the end of its useful life, and it cannot be generating very much in the way of viable rent. All of the shops on the Pier Road side of the building are pretty run down and not used by very many customers; as I have previously written, the only real income generator for Electricity House nowadays are the mobile phone masts and repeaters that are located on the roof at the Western end of the building. I am also aware that Bexley Council plan to sell off the old Erith Council Office site on the opposite side of Bexley Road, as the office space is now little used, as the council tax administration that used to be undertaken in the building is now merged with that of Bromley Council. Time will tell - and many of the issues discussed here are still in flux, and therefore subject to change. More information as it becomes available. 

A report was published last week that re - ignites an old discussion regarding the use of mobile phones. New figures released by The Office of National Statistics show that the incidence of the brain cancer known as Glioblastoma in England soared from 983 to 2,531 between 1995 and 2015. The rise was across all age groups and came as cases of lower-grade tumours fell. Experts say “widespread environmental or lifestyle factors” are likely to be responsible for the trend, with mobile phones a potential suspect. Study leader Alasdair Philips, of Children with Cancer UK, said in a recent interview that:- “We found a sustained and highly significant increase in GBM throughout the 21 years and across all ages. Interestingly, we found the highest rise in incidence in frontal and temporal regions of the brain. This raises the suspicion that mobile phone use may be promoting gliomas". Typically, only a third of patients are still alive two years after being diagnosed with Glioblastoma. Most survive just 14.6 months. Critics warn the study only identifies a trend in tumour diagnosis rates and does not provide sufficient evidence that mobile phones are actually to blame. However, in 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified mobile phones for the first time in their 'gold-standard' rating system. While they said the devices could "possibly" cause cancer in humans they decided that "there was not enough evidence to come to a clear conclusion". What is rather more clear are the mental health challenges the misuse of mobile phones can cause - especially amongst the young. Phone addiction and social media addiction are closely intertwined, especially for younger people, who probably are not playing chess on their phones or even talking on them—they are on social media. According to a growing number of studies, it is looking more and more like this pastime is addictive. Even more concerning is the fact that this addiction is linked to some serious mental health risks. Another study, presented last month at the Radiological Society of North America conference, looked at the brains of teenagers who fell into the category of smartphone or internet addiction. The authors found some differences in the chemistry of the reward circuits of the brain, particularly in the ratio of the neurotransmitter GABA to other neurotransmitters. Interestingly, when the teens went though cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for their addiction, their brain chemistry changed and looked more like non-addicted controls. Earlier studies have also looked at activity in the addiction circuits of the teenage brain when they're actually interacting with social media. It found that cells in one of these areas, the nucleus accumbens, were activated when participants viewed Instagram pictures with more “likes". What do you think? Leave a comment below, or alternatively Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

Now for the weekly safety and security updates from Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "A fantastic week for the ward crime wise, with only one crime of note reported (we do not include domestic-related offences in this bulletin). This was a theft from motor vehicle which occurred on the 30th April between 7.30am – 9.45am at Hall Place Car Park where the front and rear number plates were stolen from a Citroen car. The team are planning to hold a crime prevention roadshow in the car park shortly where anti-theft screws will be available. The date will be finalised next week and will be advertised on twitter and Facebook as well as Emails to Neighbourhood Watch Coordinators. We have received reports and noticed an increase across the ward of nitrous oxide canisters being discarded especially around the garages at Braeside Crescent, Sevenoaks Close and Oakwood Drive. We are actively patrolling these areas but would like your help. If you see cars parked up using these canisters or other drugs please call 101 at the time giving as much information as possible or report on line. This information will help us to patrol at the relevant times". Belvedere ward:- "The team held a motor vehicle crime prevention surgery in the car park at Asda in Lower Road recently offering crime prevention advice and the opportunity for drivers to have anti-theft number plate screws fitted to their vehicles for free by an AA mechanic who kindly agreed to join us for the afternoon. Having now delivered letters to over 4000 addresses across the ward, we have most recently been able to create a new NHW in Waterfield Close. The team have also been conducting patrols of the streets around Franks Park as we are soon to take over from the Erith SNT once the ward boundary changes take effect. Details of how to contact us have been delivered to residents in this area". Brampton ward:- "A slightly busier week on the Ward this week 4 crimes of relevance to our residents. There was a theft of motor vehicle on Friday 27th from Mayfair Avenue. There was also a burglary in Mayfair Avenue on Sunday 29th where entry was gained via the front UPVC door which had not been double locked. A valuable watch was taken and car keys but no vehicle was taken. On the 30th there was a shoplifting from the Co-op in Pickford Lane. On the 31st in Melanie Close number plates were taken from a vehicle. Brampton SNT continue patrolling the Ward robustly in an attempt to deter and disrupt potential crimes. Anti – social behaviour seems to be under control on the Ward at the moment but with the summer holidays and lighter nights approaching we will continue to be as highly visible as we can be and continue gathering intelligence in the fight against crime". Christchurch ward:- "We are happy to mention that we have no reported burglaries on the ward over the last week. We have had a report of a theft from motor vehicle that was reported on the 01/05/2018, vehicle was parked at Oakland’s Car Park in the Broadway at the time. Also number plates were stolen from a vehicle along Paddock Road on the 27/04/2018 . We had an attempted theft from motor vehicle along Albion Road area. Suspects had tried to take items from passenger seat but was stopped by the driver of the vehicle, this was on the 01/05/2018. We have had two reports of mobile phones being stolen. One was reported on the 26/04/2018 along Market Place Bexleyheath and the other reported on the 28/04/2018, mobile phone was stolen from victim when helping someone during a fight on the Broadway. A purse was reported stolen on the 26/04/2018 whilst the victim was shopping in Pound land Bexleyheath. Our next contact point shall be held on the 9th May at the Central Library Bexleyheath for one hour starting at 10am. Please feel free to come along and speak to us if any of you get a chance. Numerous reports have come our way in relation to beggars - rough sleepers on the ward. We are actively looking for them and hopefully deal with them as needed. Last Friday night, we have been out on the Broadway conducting licencing checks and showing a presence to help prevent any Anti-Social behaviour etc., as well as the day after on Saturday. Also on Friday night the team had helped deal with an incident where someone had got hit by a car which also included road closures. A dispersal zone was put in place last Sunday to help reduce any ASB on the ward as there was reports of general ASB Saturday night. We are keen to set up more Neighbourhood Watches on our ward". Colyers ward:- "We are pleased to announce that in the final week of Colyers Ward there have been no reported burglaries on the ward. We have had one theft from a motor vehicle in Butler Drive on Erith Park Estate some time over the previous two weeks. Small tool marks were found on the drivers door and some small change was missing from the central console. Unfortunately there were no witnesses or CCTV. Colyers executed a drugs warrant in Hampton House on Wednesday, with the aid of neighbouring wards and a dog unit. An amount of cannabis and suspected class A drugs were found along with a quantity of cash". Crayford ward:- "A silver Saab was stolen from an underground car park in Tanners Close on 30/04/2018 between 15.00-18.30. The owner still has the keys but had reported that a side window had been broken a few weeks ago. Hobbycraft reported a shoplifting offence on 01/05/2018 . It seems to have been a week for assaults, counter allegations of assault and domestic incidents. On 23/04/2018 a male was seen walking along carrying what was believed to be a handgun. He was followed from a safe distance and a running commentary was given as to where he was going. Police arrived at the male’s home address and he was arrested. This will be an ongoing investigation. On 24/04/2018, four males were arrested at Tower Retail Park by armed officers from the National Crime Agency. We are not aware of the details of this incident but are aware that there was a video clip on Facebook. Please be assured that Crayford is a safe place to live, serious events like this are unusual and treated as priority. On Friday evening a male was processed for no insurance. 6 points and £300 fine if found guilty. Please ensure that your car insurance covers you for business use. In this instance the male was making a take away delivery. In the event of an accident, he may not have been covered by his domestic car policy. On Wednesday, a lady was processed for using her mobile phone whilst driving her car. 6 points and a £200 fine. Is it really worth it and risking someone’s life? On Friday evening, assisted by Christchurch team, we patrolled Crayford ASB hotspots and stop and accounted several youths. On Saturday evening we returned the favour and assisted Christchurch team when a large group of youths were causing anti-social behaviour in Bexleyheath, several of the youths spoken with were from Crayford, a little local knowledge ably assisted with dispersing them away on to buses to keep them out of trouble".  Erith ward:- "Last week we had the Erith ward panel meeting, we got a nice turnout of 18 people. The meeting was chaired by Jerry Martin, everyone had a chance to talk about issues in their area, The priorities that were chosen were: Drugs across the ward and ASB in the High Street. The date of the next meeting was set for Wednesday 25/07/2018. We have also set up around 5 new NHW areas in Erith over the last week". North End ward:- "Unfortunately, we have had a robbery. A 14 year old was followed on the bus from Bluewater to Slade Green. He was approached by 2 males in Forest Road who took him behind the shops and demanded money and his phone after showing him a knife. They got away with his phone. His dad contacted us and PC Mark and James were fortunately working and went and took the report. The investigation continues in finding these individuals as another parent has since come forward and her son was also followed from Bluewater in similar circumstances but he got away. We assisted the Colyers team in a successful warrant this week with drugs seized at the property. Last Friday we spent 2 hours at the Shell garage on Northend Road with the AA giving out anti-theft number plate screws, free, to anyone interested. There were 15 people who signed up and had them fitted there and then. Please let us know if you need any of these screws and we will try and get them to you. Last week PCSO Mark popped into Bexley Deaf Centre Lunch Club at the Inspire Centre on Whitehall Lane. This was to arrange future regular visits with the group. While he was there they taught him how to use sign language so when he next attends he can show them “coffee with no sugar”. We have a Community Contact session this Saturday at our office in Pier Road from 7pm. PCSO Mark will be attending the Slade Green Big Local Stakeholders Conference next Wednesday, hopefully he will be back in time to give an update next week". Northumberland Heath ward:- "Great news this week - we have had no burglaries reported to us! PC Tom Smith is currently investigating a criminal damage to a motor vehicle in Collindale Avenue that took place last week when a windscreen of a motor vehicle was smashed. A local resident alerted us to a phone scam on Monday of this week. The informant, who lives in Oakdene Avenue, received a telephone call on Monday morning informing him that he was due a PPI refund of £5,000, but would need to purchase a payment card for £125 from a local shop with a code number that he needed to supply to cover government tax on the refund. Fortunately the informant did not follow the instructions he was given, although the caller was insistent, a police car was waiting nearby as a courier was due to attend his address but thankfully no one attended. Please be aware of any unsolicited phone calls you may receive, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. As you may be aware from Thursday May 3rd the Council Ward Boundaries are changing, we are gaining some roads on the Colyers ward and losing some of our roads which will be covered by another team". Thamesmead East ward:- "The team are pleased to say no Burglaries again this week. Between 17th - 30th April, Theft – Hartslock Drive. Trailer Unit Stolen from location between date stated; 25th April - Theft  – Leatherbottle Green. Three neighbours state that plants were stolen from front door step overnight. PC Pruden investigating the theft recovered the plants and returned them to their rightful owners; 28th April - Criminal Damage – Kale Road. Victim states person/persons have cut the virgin media cable leading into the victims property; 30th April - Criminal Damage – Mangol Way between 30th April – 2nd May. The victim noticed that the passenger side front door had a number of scratch marks, approximately two inches in length. F. The team will be at Lakeside Medical Centre in Yarnton Way between 1-2pm on Friday 11h May".

The end video this week shows two of the new British Rail Class 345 trains which are currently undergoing testing on the Crossrail / Elizabeth Line at Abbey Wood Station. If you visit the station and happen to see any train testing going on, I would be grateful if you could get a photo or two - you can send them to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com - and you can have full credit, or alternatively be completely anonymous, as you see fit. 

Caught in the act.

Events surrounding Electricity House and the African Church which operates out of the building have taken a bit of a turn this week; despite not having obtained any form of planning permission from Bexley Council, the church have now stepped up building work on the former snooker hall part of the building, and have been knocking out the first floor windows - you can see the new windows in the upper of the two photos of the building above - click on either to see a larger version. One local observer noted that "Over the last few days you may have noticed exterior walls being painted white?  Yesterday, the cowboys began knocking out the upper floor windows, Brick chippings and shards of glass were flying all over the pedestrian walkway. No thought for any Health and Safety precautions or for people visiting the shops in the parade underneath! I know that the Council received some complaints from shop owners and the public yesterday, but there seemed to be very little interest or concern in getting the work stopped on a Friday afternoon. so duly they are back there again today carrying on with a few ladders cordoning off the dangerous areas. Oh, and a man stood below with a broom ready to sweep up the debris. It is madness!  Surely, there must be some rules and regs about this sort of thing? Clearly our Council don`t care, if any one gets hurt, they just let them do what they want, and keep turning a blind eye!" Bexley Council have issued a number of enforcement notices against the church, but they seem reluctant to take any direct action. One of my contacts tells me that "The Council took a step back in their intended Enforcement action because Pastor Ogedengbe had appointed a solicitor to fight her battle which has left them running scared after she also branded Bexley Council`s legal team as being "Racist". You know, the tiresome defence attitude, rather than just accepting that there are certain rules and regulations when it comes to the planning requirements of this land. She considers herself above the authorities and only answerable to her God". As detailed in previous editions, it is known that the original Redeemed Christian Church of God that occupied the former tyre warehouse portion of Electricity House was wound up, and a new organisation called the King's Gen Foundation has now taken over. It is my understanding that the new church group is being operated by exactly the same people as before, and that the name change is purely an administrative move to try and avoid enforcement actions by Bexley Council. There are also some serious concerns about the use the building is being put to; Pastor Ogedengbe has been widely promoting a "Parents R US Conference" on Saturday the 11th November from 9am-5pm. She also says in her videos that the place will be open "all night long" inviting anyone who cannot afford a hotel, and wants to stay the night for a sleepover at the venue on the night before the conference. This conflicts with the fire regulations and the building usage permissions. Bexley Council are aware of this planned overnight event; time will tell as to what they will actually do about it. I have also been informed that certain other official organisations are now involved in the Electricity House / former snooker club issue. Due to some sensitivities with their investigations, I had better leave it at that for the current time; I am sure that I will be able to write in more detail in the not too distant future. It seems to me that the operators of the church - whatever name it is currently using, are fully aware that they are playing fast and loose with the planning regulations, but think they can bulldoze through the rules with a combination of bravado and false accusations of racism. What do you think? Leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.

It is pleasant when I get to publish some really good new, as it does not seem to happen nearly often enough.  As many of you will already know, news broke on Wednesday morning that Bexleyheath Police Station has been saved - it is now no longer under threat of closure. Both our local MP's strongly opposed the closure proposal, and interviewed in The News Shopper, Teresa Pearce MP said:- "I am delighted that Bexleyheath Police Station has been saved. Closing the station and moving the front counter to Sidcup would have directly impacted upon my constituents, and I opposed the proposals in the strongest terms to the London Mayor Sadiq Khan. As with any change on this scale, our community has voiced genuine and passionate concerns. Through the consultation process, the police have listened to those concerns and where possible and operationally viable, revised their plans accordingly." David Evennett MP said:-"This is really good news and I am glad the London Mayor listened and dropped his proposal. It is a real victory for local people and common sense". One person who in my opinion has done more to save Bexleyheath Police Station than anyone else is Dana Wiffen, the Chairman of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association, who has campaigned tirelessly to retain the site. The next task he will be undertaking will be to try and increase the number of Police officers serving in the Borough. It is now well known that the local crime rate is up, and the best way to combat this is to have more trained officers available to investigate and prevent crime. I am unsure of how this will pan out; I know that London Mayor Sadiq Khan needs to save money, but cutting back on law and order is very unlikely to be a vote winner.

Do you recognise the person in the photo montage above? Click on it for a larger view; the illegal moped rider was filmed on the 28th October riding the wrong way down Holly Hill Road in Upper Belvedere - a one way street - in addition to riding the wrong way, he was minus helmet, and the moped appeared to have no registration plate, and was thus very likely stolen. Car dash cam footage was sent to me by a regular reader who wishes to remain anonymous. It is great to catch a criminal in the act, and to get clear images of the offender in action. Copies of the still images along with the video have been sent to the Police. A message from Dana Wiffen of Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association regarding recent Police action against local illegal bikers:- "Two success stories. Cory’s have been working with Transport Police, Safer Neighbourhood Groups and landowners to try stop the anti-social biker gatherings taking place outside their facility in Norman Road. On Sunday 22nd October a coordinated police operation saw the arrest of 17 people involved and the seizure of 16 motorbikes and 2 quad bikes. It is hoped that this will send a message to other such anti-social bikers that this behaviour will not be tolerated. Cory’s have also received a commendation from the Metropolitan Police for their support of police teams while they were carrying out a search for evidence in securing a conviction and for providing protection to police teams while they were carrying out their tasks in a potentially hostile environment. This award which is normally reserved for police courage and is only issued a handful of times each year is to be presented to Cory staff in the near future".  This is excellent news; pressure needs to be kept up on the illegal bike gangs. At present this seems to me to be the number one local policing priority - to stamp out the threat from the illegal moped / bike gangs. I have noticed over the last week that the number of illegal riders on the streets seems to have dropped considerably. Whether this is a direct result of the Police action is currently unknown; it may be that the gangs are "laying low" for a while - hoping to go back to their criminal and anti social behaviour once the heat dies down. The Metropolitan Police released a report last week that stated that the latest statistics showed a 25 per cent reduction in the number of powered two wheel bikes stolen in the last six months to the end of September. There was also a 24 per cent fall in the number of reported moped related crimes over the same period, and rising arrest rates and convictions of prolific offenders. The Met revealed it was using tactics successfully deployed by the Trident gangs team to respond to scooter offences, targeting moped thugs for other offences if possible. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said in a recent interview:-“We know that our criminal cohort committing crime on scooters also carry knives, have links to networks who handle stolen property and who deal drugs. So if you are a persistent phone thief - using a scooter to commit your crimes - and we can prove your involvement in other offences, such as drug dealing, you will be arrested. This is where the public can help us. I want to mobilise communities, to channel their outrage as part of a joint effort to make our streets safer. Look after your belongings, follow our security advice and tell us about the people who are responsible for crime in your communities and help us tackle them.”

Transport enthusiasts have been getting excited, as one of the new British Rail Class 345 trains has been sighted in the sidings at Abbey Wood Station. I understand that it is to be based at Abbey Wood Station for a series of tests of the new rail lines, signalling and safety systems.  I know that people have been photographing the new arrival, which will be around for some time, or so I am told.

Many local radio stations have been running adverts recently that promote interest in the possible changes to the electoral boundaries. There has been much controversy around the possible move - the main idea behind the proposed changes is to make the number of electors in each constituency roughly equal, which is currently not the case. Local MP for Erith and Thamesmead Teresa Pearce said in an interview with The News Shopper that:- "It seems unlikely that these proposals will go through with the Conservatives reliant on the DUP for a parliamentary majority, and the DUP have been clear that they do not support the proposals for Northern Ireland. Personally I was disappointed to see that Thamesmead is proposed to be split across two constituencies – Thamesmead is one community which faces so many challenges and I believe would be better served with one MP for the whole town. Nevertheless it is important that as many people as possible participate in the ongoing consultation around the proposals to ensure that our communities are appropriately represented in Parliament.” David Evennett, the MP for Bexleyheath and Crayford said that:-"I am very disappointed at the revised proposals of the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Bexley, as they do not heed community interests or the views expressed by local residents. To not recognise the borough’s major town of Bexleyheath in the name of a constituency cannot be right. I very much hope the Boundary Commission will reconsider their proposals in the final stage of the review.”

You may recall that two weeks ago I featured a promotion on an event to be held by The Association of Bexley Charities '78. The event has now taken place, and local charity activist John Salt sent me the two photos taken at the event, which you can see above - click on either for a larger version. The three people in the lower of the two photographs are from left to right, John Wilkinson, Deputy Mayor, Peter Hickson, Honorary Life President of The Association of Bexley Charities ’78 and Carol Wilkinson, Deputy Mayoress. John Salt writes:- “The Association of Bexley Charities ’78 held its Autumn Fair in the Geddes Place United Reformed Church hall, Bexleyheath, on the 28th October. There were 12 stalls selling a wide range of goods, including Christmas cards, calendars, cakes, jams, jigsaw puzzles, model railway items, jewellery, knitted goods, children’s toys, handbags, shoes and books.  The event was very well attended by more than 100 people. The Deputy Mayor of Bexley, John Wilkinson and the Deputy Mayoress, his wife Carol, also supported the event and spent more than an hour meeting the stall holders. The event was a great success, raising more than £800.”

Now for the weekly safety and security reports from the various wards that make up Bexley Borough Neighbourhood Watch Association. Firstly from Barnehurst ward:- "On Thursday 26th October 2017 at 10.51pm a vehicle was found ablaze by the garages at the rear of Grove Road. London Fire Brigade attended and believe this was a deliberate fire caused by suspects unknown. Local residents informed London Fire Brigade that fireworks were being set off prior to their arrival. On Friday 27th October 2017 between 04.00pm and 04.05pm a mountain bike was stolen from a garage in Manor Way. The garage had been left unattended for five minutes with the garage door closed down but not locked. The bike in question is a giant mountain bike, model AT X2, orange in colour with gold hand grips, and was in perfect condition. If found please call 101 or your local policing team on 0208 721 2577. On Friday 27th October 2017 in Taunton Close a window was smashed. This Incident relates to an ongoing issue where youths are targeting property’s in Taunton Close. The timings of these Incidents vary from 06.00pm to midnight. Police have carried out a number of patrols at various times with negative results. Barnehurst Golf Club have since erected a wired security fence in the hope this will deter the youths in future and protect the property’s in Taunton Close. Additional ball collections are also being carried out at the driving range with the last collection being at 10.00pm. Halloween proved very busy with a large number of calls coming in from all over the Borough. Barnehurst Officers are aware of the criminal damage made to a number of vehicles in Martens Avenue and Old Road. We are in the process of gathering all of the Information together regarding these incidents. Please join us at Barnehurst Golf Club on Thursday 16th November 2017 at 1.00pm if you wish to discuss any of the issues mentioned or have any other matters you would like to raise with us. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @MPSBarnehurst". Belvedere ward:- "At this time of the year with Halloween and Guy Fawkes there is often a rise in anti-social behaviour. As such, the team have been working later shifts over the last week and have been participating in the Met-wide ‘Autumn Nights’ initiative to tackle such issues. The team were working on Halloween and very few issues were reported to police on 31/10/2017 around the ward. However, PC Green did arrest a male while working with colleagues from Crayford ward. The male was seen by officers riding a stolen motorcycle which had been taken the night before from Sidcup. The bike was seized by police and taken for forensics to be done, meanwhile PC Green stopped a person matching the description of the rider. After confirming this was the same person, he was arrested for theft of motor-vehicle, driving while disqualified and handling stolen goods. PC Holmes was working with colleagues across the borough and searched a male for articles to commit criminal damage as well as responding to numerous calls of ASB (Anti Social Behaviour) around the borough. PCSO Worrall conducted thorough foot patrols across Belvedere with no issues to report. On 30/10/2017 the team were again working late and located a stolen motorcycle. The bike was found on Clive Road but sadly was badly damaged with identifying markers such as the registration plate and chassis numbers being removed. The bike had been stolen a couple of weeks before. If you have any information as to who stole or was using this bike, please contact the team or Crime Stoppers. On 27/10/2017 PC Green was working with other officers as part of Autumn Nights and stopped a couple of youths who were causing ASB. These youths were taken home and parents informed as to their conduct. The Erith team have also been provided with their details should they be linked with any other ASB issues in the area. PC Holmes has been working on crime investigations as well as the above issues and has circulated more images of shoplifters through our identification unit. These images will be shown on social media shortly. Some images may be displayed in the stores as well in a bid to reduce offences. PC Green has also been working further on the issue of vehicle ASB and last week 15 people were arrested driving dangerously with 15 vehicles being seized by police. Surgeries and Events: The team were in the Co-op, Nuxley Road on 01/11/2017 and spoke with numerous residents and gave advice relating to crime prevention. There will be a street briefing on Saturday 4th November at 3pm on Nuxley Road relating to ASB in the area – please come along to attend and speak with the team. Our next surgery will be in ASDA on 16/11/2017 at 5pm". Brampton ward;- "Two Burglaries in Shakespeare Road and Pickford Lane - both rear access , nothing stolen at the first address but jewellery and cash taken at the second 1 x Theft A victim had dropped her purse in Dunwich Road and this was found in the morning empty of cash 1 x Common Assault in Long Lane 6 x Criminal damage to motor vehicles 1 in Rydal Drive a vehicle had tyres slashed and the rest in St Audrey Avenue on Halloween youths that caused havoc on the night kicked off wing mirrors I have also been on local aid on Operation Autumn nights that included patrolling Brampton ward hotspots for Burglary and Anti - social behaviour Four youths were stopped and searched on Halloween in Pickford Lane and before they could commit criminal damage along with Christchurch and Barnehurst officers we seized 55 eggs, 1 bag of tomato sauce and 2 rolls of kitchen paper , I will be visiting the homes of the youths as they lived on our ward and speaking with parents/guardians . I attended the Bexley Pensioners Forum as well during the week and took questions on behalf of the station , a lot of those were regarding the closure of Bexleyheath Police Station to which we have been informed that it will now stay OPEN".  Christ Church ward:- " We have had one burglary this week in Windsor Road between 1800 hours on the 29/10/2017 and 2100 hours 30/10/2017, where the rear French windows were forced and £900 worth of jewellery was stolen. Please see www.met.police.uk for crime prevention advice. We did have a theft of a motor bike from the alleyway between Primark and the old Pizza Hut (28/10/17 at 1415 hours). Sadly there has been two incidents of elderly ladies being targeted for theft of handbag, one occurred on 26/10/17 at 1100 in Card Factory and the other was in Morley’s on the same day at 1140. Our Town Centre Team are aware and are keeping an eye out whilst on patrol. Please do warn neighbours, family and friends of keeping their property safe whilst out and about. Do not let anyone distract you and ensure you can see your bag at all times. If going to the bank do not carry large sums of cash about your person or in your bag. We have visited Avante Care Home to meet other residents from Cedar Ward, and give crime prevention advice. Due to the nature of this time of year we have been tasked with Anti – Social Behaviour patrols and all the car parks and open spaces have been patrolled. We have been engaging with the youths we have come across and discussed Halloween with them to try and prevent vulnerable people being targeted. The team has been very busy over Halloween and a dispersal order was in place on 31/10/2017 to cover Halloween. Five youths were dispersed from the area and not allowed to return until 1200 hours 01/11/2017. Russell Close – Street Briefing this is in connection to anti social behaviour in the alleyway linking to Arnsberg Way. The whole close was leafleted and  four residents came and discussed their issues with us. Patrols will be carried out to deter the youths from congregating there who are causing ASB".  Crayford ward:- "It has been a busy week around Crayford Ward as for most of us are busy patrolling - on foot, in a vehicle and using the motorcycle and speaking with many people. There was a burglary at the top end of Station Road in Crayford on Saturday 28th November. It happened between 14.00-14.45 while the owners were out. Entry was made by removing a large pane of glass from a patio window and the exit point was the front door. Among items stolen was a large, very heavy safe containing a large amount of Asian gold as well as other items and documents. It would have taken at least four strong people to remove the safe and a van would have been used. it Is a very busy road, if anyone saw anything, please get in touch. On Sunday 29th October it was reported that a motorcycle had been tampered with, possibly with a view to being stolen, this happened in Sainsbury car park in Crayford between 14.00-14.20. A bag was stolen from a vehicle parked in Crayford Industrial Estate on Friday 27 October between 14.00-14.05. On a more positive note a motorcycle stolen in Sidcup overnight on Monday was recovered in an alleyway near Station Road on Tuesday afternoon and a Male who ran off it was arrested and taken to Plumstead Police station. Another motorcycle stolen from an address in the Kent police area was also recovered at the top of Station Road and returned to its owner".  Erith ward:- "We have carried out a lot of late night Halloween patrols around Erith. There was a bike-marking event on the 27/10/17 in which 5 bikes where marked. The next bike-marking is Wednesday 8/11/17 Erith Base at 2pm. 2 x Street briefing just off West Street and at Erith Pier Road base. We have changed a lot of our patrols to Late shift patrols to cover Erith later at night. PC Brown and PC Cousens set up a dispersal zone all around Erith for almost a week and have been policing this by issuing dispersal notices out to help tackle ASB. Twitter @MPSErith for latest updates on Events and bike marking". Lesnes Heath ward:- "Burglaries - On Thursday 26/10/17 between the hours of 05 : 30 pm and 07 : 35 pm a residential burglary occurred in King Harold's Way; Between the hours of 04 : 30 pm on Friday 27/10/17 and 10 :30 am on Monday 30/10/17, another residential burglary occurred in King Harold's Way. Home crime prevention - Check you have closed and locked all your doors and windows before leaving your property. If you have UPVC doors and windows double lock them with keys to secure them properly. Leave some lights on if it will be dark before you get home. Install low wattage ‘ dusk to dawn ‘ outside lighting. If you have a burglar alarm remember to activate it. Residents with shared drives consider installing motion activated lights, CCTV covering the driveway and maybe install gates to help prevent access to the rear /side of properties. Protect your important property, register at: https://www.immobilise.com Motor vehicle crimes - Between the hours of 04:00 pm Saturday 21/10/17 and 08:45 am Sunday 22/10/17 theft from motor vehicle Coralline Walk. However the incident was not reported until Thursday 26/10/17; Between the hours of 07 : 00pm on Monday 30/10/17 and 08:00 am on Tuesday 31/10/17 a moped was stolen from a property in Woolwich Road. Check your home security - Have you locked your doors and windows? Did you know that your vehicle is like a shop window? If you can see ANY property left on view then so can a thief. Take it with you". North End ward:- "One vehicle broken into this week in Crescent Road, baby pushchair and monitor stolen from the boot. We attended Slade Green Big Local Community Safety day last Saturday and had a Crime Prevention table giving out various crime prevention leaflets to many residents. On Halloween late patrols were carried out in the ward. There were less ASB related calls than usual but we still ended the evening with 2 cannabis seizures, 9 Stop and searches and 3 stop and accounts". Northumberland Heath ward:- "On Thursday October 26th we held our quarterly Ward Panel Meeting and our priorities for the next three months will be focusing on anti-social behaviour in general. A CBO (Community Breach Order) was issued to a youth who has persistently caused anti-social behaviour in and around Northumberland Heath. This CBO has the power to arrest this individual if he continues to act in an anti-social manner. One burglary on Thursday October 26th in Penhurst Road which took place between 2.30pm – 7.45pm. Entry appears to have been gained via the next door neighbour’s garden and access to the property was through the kitchen window. where cash and jewellery were stolen. There has been criminal damage to a property in Avenue Road this week where a traffic cone was thrown at a window causing it to smash. Thankfully no one was injured. Also a window in Brook street was smashed on Monday October 30th and a theft of a mobile phone at the Pantiles on Tuesday 31st October. An unattended trailer was stolen from a rear driveway in Northumberland Heath on Wednesday of last week between 12.30 – 1pm. Halloween was a busy night for the team in the earlier part of the evening, where a large group of youths caused damage to a property in Dickens Close, a number of eggs were thrown at the doors and windows. The group had made off when police arrived however three youths were stopped and searched in Byron Park. On the whole there were less calls to the team regarding Halloween anti-social behaviour than in previous years. The next drop in Police Surgeries will be held in the Library in Mill Road on Thursday November 2nd and Thursday November 9th both at Noon". Thamesmead East ward:- "Bayliss Avenue - Criminal Damage to Motor vehicle - a smashed windscreen; 27/10/17– 21:30hrs Centurion Way - Theft from Motor vehicle over the weekend employee noticed the diesel cap being off and a wet patch next to the offside of the vehicle. Diesel stolen; 28/10/17 1900hrs Holstein Way – Theft from Motor vehicle Victim left his vehicle parked locked following morning at around 0850 hours and he noticed that his number plates were missing; 28/10/17 21:00hrs Redbourne Drive – Criminal Damage to internal mail box has been damaged flap ripped off bent left on the floor; 31/10/17 07:10hrs Binsey Walk Ix2 Burglary derelict properties. Crime Prevention Motor vehicle crime • Don't leave items on show it is an invitation • Keys and ignition fobs should kept safe and out of sight and reach – the most common ways to steal a car or van is to take the keys or ignition fob, either when left in the vehicle or from your home through burglary. Try not to keep your keys in an obvious place such as the hallway or kitchen. • Fit an alarm or immobiliser if your vehicle does not have one.  Consider using a gear stick lock".

The end video this week is a short interview with Jane Murphy of Bexley Brewery. Please feel free to leave a comment below, or Email me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.